The Broadway Performance Hall in Seattle began its life as the gym of the old, venerable Broadway High School and in 1979 re-opened as one of the premier mid-size theater venues available. I remember the date as I was in the very first performance – Repertory Dancers Northwest. Once we got to the actual show, it was exciting but waiting and wading through the final technical system bugs to be worked out was not. Everything was new, being used for the first time and while the show started an hour late [after an all-day technical rehearsal], the audience did not seem to mind.

How wonderfully things have grown and evolved since.

With only a small handful of men on our program, we could have easily been swallowed by the number and depth of talent and experience seen on the recent Men in Dance program that began its two-week run Friday 12 October.

While I’m thinking about it, the technical production side of things ran like a clock – smoothly and with really good lighting designs [Meg Fox] and execution. Little things are thought of, and appreciated, like partly bringing up the house lights in between pieces so we can collectively consult our programs.

Men in Dance – the Ninth Festival of Against the Grain’s emcee, Kyle Cable, is the perfect host, warming and cheerfully welcoming and thanking everyone, who made taking care of business [the usual announcements] fun.

While none of the pieces this biennium made me think, “Wow! That’s great choreography,” the performance level of the adults was consistently and refreshingly high. I say “adults” as Kaleidoscope Dance Company, which presented a tribute to missed Seattle dance veteran, the late Jesse Jaramillo, is comprised of youth. Their work, “That’s Why” bespoke [literally] of the cast's affinity for dance and how they didn’t cave to peer pressure and didn’t give it up, but re-affirmed and kept on dancing.

Christopher Montoya’s best presentation of his work was “The Rehearsal” in which he did a run-through of a short ballet solo that previewed what he later did in the program but under the exotic guise of gussied up Doris Vidanya, a “guest” from the Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, it promised more than it delivered as the performance by Vidanya was weak, perhaps due to nerves or not being in top form – I don’t know – but “she” threatened to topple, once for real and once faking it, crumpling under her own weighty and prolonged bow.

Petite, Montoya actually has really good and refined technique, and can move well. So, while it was fun enjoying a “star” from the Trocks and this may have been an obvious choice for his contribution, I think I’d rather see him in new or different choreography. He doesn’t need to hide but should allow himself to be used in “serious” choreography. I know I’d enjoy seeing him move and bring his considerable artistry and years of experience to a pure dance work.

Iyun Harrison’s best piece to date, “Tres Reyes” showcased three men, two of whom are beloved Seattle – Timothy Lynch and Jason Ohlberg and now the choreographer himself, Harrison. The title, refers to Three Kings [of dance, presumably]. Harrison smartly made a work that was actual dance [and not primarily gesture] and which met the cast on their level, yet pushed and challenged them.

It would be tempting to say that “Snap” was snappy and it was. With four out-of-town dancers – from the BARE Dance Company of New York, “Snap” had a sophistication to it that I enjoyed. Kudos to dancers Christopher Argodale, Jake Bone, Christopher Coates and Evan Marsh.

Wade Madsen’s “Männer Tanz” or “Men's Dance" was intentionally humorous with five “suit” dancers making their gestural and movement way through their office day. Perhaps a comment that we all wear costumes, in every walk of life.

Deborah Wolf is also a much-experienced Seattle dance maker and her “Crash of Days” showed this experience with the premise and setup and the use of a hanging sculpture. His use of the floor and strong diagonals is remarkable.

Markeith Wiley’s “TRE” was an excerpt from an upcoming full-length work. While it is difficult to evaluate the work out of its broader context, the performances from Jesse Buckingham, Sean Tomerlin and Markeith Wiley were assured and committed.

Making use of the theatre’s technical capacity, “Interference Pattern” by Robert Dekkers used a film projection that functioned as a continuously moving and unfolding backdrop for dancers Patrick Kilbane and Dekkers.

Depicting a sweet male love duet, Ohlberg’s “The Bella Pictures” from 1997 was perhaps the most intimate [intimate in the sense of exposed vulnerability] of the program’s dances, nicely performed by Sam Picart and Sean Rosado.

Men in Dance continues at Broadway Performance Hall, Friday 10/19 through Sunday 10/21 with “Program 2" which will have some repeats but that features some new work too, including that of Olivier Wevers providing us with an anticipated world premiere.

When I wrote last week: While none of the pieces this biennium made me think, “Wow! That’s great choreography,” I had not yet seen Program 2 and in particular Bill Wade’s “Doppelganger” made in 2001 for his Inlet Dance Theatre of Ohio.

The arc of the choreographic idea and intent was clear from start to finish, was beautifully executed with amazing control by Joshua Brown and Justin Stentz and which reminded me of some of the best of the ever-creative Pilobolus Dance Company. I liked how the sculptural shapes kept evolving and changing – just when you’ve thought you’ve seen it all, something new is invented.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the other new pieces – Olivier Wevers' “MORE,” Paula Peters’ “Alone In My Room,” Transient of Life” by Geoffrey Johnson, and Joshua D. Romero’s social commentary piece, “AlphaA.”

Anytime you can have Andrew Bartee perform in your work, you’re lucky. This talented youthful dancer from Everett has the kind of archy feet, long legs, and extensions that most dancers would sell their grandmothers to have. Add on his superb Pacific Northwest Ballet training and performing experience and we get one artist who is a terrific audience draw. Choreographer Olivier Wevers captured a piece of the essence of the narcissism of contemporary youth with his “MORE” made to a condensed version of Ravel’s iconic “Bolero.” Ravel’s compositional tool is that he took one melody and repeated it multiple times but added layers of instrumental voices gradually on top. If any choreographer doesn’t at least partly follow this pattern, they’re in trouble. Fortunately, Wevers carefully crafted mini-scenes that arced and built, using his character’s obsession with a simple T-shirt as its base.

Twisting, jumping backward, rolling and swinging on the floor, making shapes that only someone as flexible as Bartee could, the piece built nicely along, got bogged down a bit toward the end and concluded with Bartee yelling and tearing the front of the shirt. Many cheers from a pleased audience.

“AlphA” refers directly to the head dog of the pack, each vying for hegemony, as was the case here with Romero’s take with Sebastian Arango, Jovan Dansberry, Brian Domino, Phillip Lu shoving each other aside to thrust themselves into the center picture with a hip-hop like movement palette.

Christopher Montoya, as Doris Vidanya, appeared again as a “guest” from the Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo and was stronger this time around. I’d still like to see this excellent dancer in straight choreography sometime. Perhaps in the next Men in Dance Festival of 2014.

Some things are never explained to audiences and some are never meant to be explained. Deborah Wolf’s “Crash of Days” and Wade Madsen’s comedic “Männer Tanz” were supposed to have switched their respective bookend places from Program 1 but at the top of the show, we were told they’d not do this and their original places as before were kept. I’m not sure it made a difference, although it got the director in me curious.

Men In Dance 2012 was the accomplishment of many and a shout out has to go to its dedicated producers: Kyle Cable, Steve Casteel, Brenda Howard, Richard Jessup, Brian Joe, Gary Reed, Gérard Théorêt, Deborah Wolf, and Raymond Houle.

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